עברית
Israel Says Haifa Man, Directed by Iran, Planned Attack on Senior Official
Shin Bet and Israel Police arrested three residents of Haifa and northern Israel on suspicion of manufacturing explosives. Investigators say the main suspect was tasked by Iranian intelligence with assassinating an Israeli politician.
Arrest of one of the suspects (Photo: Israel Police Spokesperson's Unit)Cleared for publication this afternoon (Thursday): the Shin Bet and Israel Police arrested an Israeli citizen, a resident of Haifa, on suspicion of carrying out security missions for Iranian intelligence, including manufacturing an explosive intended to harm a senior figure.
The suspect, Ami Gaidarov, 22, was arrested during March 2026 on suspicion of security offenses involving contact with Iranian intelligence and aiding the enemy in wartime. In his interrogation by the Shin Bet and the police, it emerged that Gaidarov had been in contact with an Iranian operative since August 2025; within this relationship he carried out numerous tasks in exchange for large sums of money. Also at his handler's direction, Gaidarov agreed to manufacture an explosive intended to harm a senior figure.
Police and the Shin Bet noted that to manage his communications with his handlers, Gaidarov purchased dedicated phones. He also rented an apartment in Haifa where he produced the explosive material, documenting his activity in videos and photos that were sent to his handler as proof he had completed the tasks.
During Gaidarov's relationship with the Iranian contact, he brought in several friends and even relied on them to buy raw materials needed to make an explosive. As a result, several additional Israeli citizens from the north were detained for questioning, including Sergey Libman and Eduard Shubtyuk. The investigation found that they helped Gaidarov purchase materials, hide the explosive, and even conduct a test of the explosive's effectiveness, each according to his part.
It also emerged that during the "Lion's Roar" war, his handler directed Gaidarov to provide the Iranians with photos of the Haifa port, sites of rocket impacts in the north, and he was even asked to find a rental property with a view of the port area in order to place a fixed camera there.
For all this activity, Gaidarov received more than 70,000 shekels, transferred via digital wallets. Today, a prosecutor's statement was filed in his case, and an indictment is expected to be filed against him and others in the coming days.
